Doc fury over FIRs

NISHANT SINHA

Bihar Health Services Association members met the Arwal district magistrate on Friday, accusing police of lodging FIRs against four doctors on frivolous charges.

Over the past few months, FIRs have been lodged agai-nst four doctors in Arwal district, around 50km southwest of Patna. The Bihar Health Services Association, an organisation of doctors, on Friday demanded a fair probe into the cases.

General secretary Ajay Kumar said if the cases were not properly looked into, it would be difficult for the doctors to discharge their duty. The organisation also demanded the removal of Arwal superintendent of police (SP) Shafi-ul-Haque.

The SP said: “It’s an internal matter of the doctors. We are just conducting investigations.”

Among the doctors against whom the FIRs have been lodged is Arwal civil surgeon Krishna Vallabh Prasad Singh.

He told The Telegraph: “Few months ago, I removed Brij Bhushan Sharma, the in-charge of a primary health centre, for incompetence. Dr Baidhyanath Prasad was placed on the post. Infuriated, Dr Sharma lodged a complaint with the SP, stating that the new incumbent was drawing salary without doing any work. In May, the FIR was lodged against me and Dr Prasad.”

Ajay Kumar said a case has been lodged against deputy superintendent of sadar hospital Vijay Kumar Sinha on a public complaint against an auxiliary nurse midwife in connection with alleged irregularities in implementation of the Copper-T (family planning) programme. Another has been lodged against the only sadar hospital gynaecologist, Ranju.

District magistrate Kunwar Jung Bahadur said: “We are looking into the matter seriously.”